PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS

Popular ISME Publications and Reports:

*Note - some guides and reports are restricted to ISME Members and are available to download in the ISME Guide Page & ISME Reports Page in the Members' Area.


ISME Crime Report 2012

Crime against business affects everyone; it deprives communities of much needed enterprises and jobs, shops and amenities, it destroys employment opportunities and it can devastate the lives of owner/managers and their staff, traumatised by violence and intimidation.

ISME, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association, through its annual Crime Survey, which has been undertaken annually since 2003, is once again highlighting the issue of business crime.

The aim of the survey is to provide a better understanding of the nature, cost, extent and impact of crime against SME business across Ireland, and to make specific recommendations to Government and the law enforcement agencies, to ensure that crimes against business are taken seriously and tackled effectively.

Download a pdf of the ISME Crime Report 2012

Equality in the Workplace - an Employer's Guide
All Irish companies, regardless of their size, need to be aware of and address the issue of equality in their company policies. Equality legislation requires that no person is discriminated or treated in a less favourable way than another person on any of the nine grounds mentioned in the equality legislation.

This guide provides companies with the necessary information in order to prevent discrimination from taking place in their workplace, through helping them to prepare their own equality policies and procedures. A business, which has the necessary equality policies in place (equality and diversity policy, equal status policy and bullying and harassment policy), has made
their employees aware of the correct behaviour and provided it adheres to these policies, has a first line of defence in case of a complaint against them.

Download ISME Guide to Equality in the Workplace

ISME Environmental Handbook for SMEs - an Owner Managers Guide
All organisations have an environmental impact, whether the organisation is a professional service, in hospitality, retail or manufacturing. These impacts can have a harmful effect on human health either directly, for example, by noise emissions, or indirectly by global warming.
Environmental legislation has increased in scope and quantity to such an extent that many large companies employ specialists to ensure that all such environmental legislation is complied with. Such resources are not generally available to SMEs, but none the less they are still expected to comply with the legislation. This handbook attempts to act as a guide to Irish environmental legislation and additionally offer advice as to environmental best practice. Whilst it is not possible to describe every item of legislation or best practice in detail, the main areas are covered with details of where to get further help.
To make the guide as practical as possible, the potential environmental impacts are broken down by a number of headings, e.g. air emissions, solvent use, water emissions. For each heading, an overview is provided and the applicability of the subject matter to particular SMEs is described. Following the overview, the legislation is described along with the effects of the environmental impacts, how to reduce the impacts and details of best practice. Any assistance via grant aid is also covered.
Click here to purchase the ISME Environmental Handbook for SMEs - an Owner Managers Guide

Guide to Employment Law for SMEs - an Employer's Handbook
Changes and more stringent enforcement of employment legislation over the last few years mean that employers need to be constantly up to date with regard to their employment obligations. This guide will assist companies to understand the myriad of legislation that currently exists and will assist in developing practices and procedures that should lead to a harmonious work environment.
Download Guide to Employment Law - an Employer's Handbook (Members Only)
Click here to purchase Guide to Employment Law for SMEs - an Employer's Handbook

Guide to Health & Safety Management - an Employer's Handbook
This guide will assist companies to proactively manage health and safety issues and to provide information and guidance on the main areas of workplace health and safety that effect SME employers. Click here to purchase Guide to Health and Safety Management - an Employer's Handbook

Wages and Conditions of Employment Report 2011-2012
This report gives statistical information on different rates of pay by sector and industry for different job categories including production workers, office workers, qualified tradesmen, financial staff, computer staff and managerial employees. Also included are statistical comparisons by industry, sector and company size on prevailing conditions of employment including the percentage of companies who provide pension schemes, sick pay schemes, health benefit schemes, bonus rates and shift rates etc.
Click here to purchase ISME Wages Survey 2011/12

ISME Grants Guide 2009
This guide has been structured in a user-friendly way by using a unique quick find index in assisting small and medium sized enterprises in Ireland to source funding and assistance towards the development of their business.
The guide includes an index and grants available from different State organisations, the eligibility criteria and contact numbers for further information. Out of print.

ISME’s Monthly Update Newsletter
Monthly updates providing vital information that directly impacts on today’s owner/manager including tax updates, changes to legislation, waste management, events and seminars and other relevant business information. (Available to ISME Membership via Members' Area)

ISME Employers Guide: Ifluenza Pandemic (pdf)
Available as PDF Download for ISME Members via the Members' Area.

ISME Employees Policy Guide: Swine Flu (pdf)
Available as PDF Download for ISME Members via the Members' Area.

ISME Guide to Revenue Audits
The guide deals with all steps associated with a Revenue Audit, from the notification by the Inspector through to the Inspector's review. The guide also advises on what preparations a company should undertake on being notified of a Revenue Audit. Available as PDF Download for ISME Members via the Members' Area.

ISME Guide to Redundancy
Available as PDF Download for ISME Members via the Members' Area.

ISME Data Protection for SMEs - an Owner Managers Guide
Available as PDF Download for ISME Members via the Members' Area.

OTHER KEY PUBLICATIONS
Traffic Management & Congestion - The Impact on SMEs. Report 2007
Download the Traffic Management & Congestion Report - The Impact on SMEs


ISME Submission to the OECD - Review of the Irish Public Service. 2007
Download ISME Submission to the OECD - Review of the Irish Public Service

ISME Energy Green Paper Submission 2006
This submission sets out ISME’s response to the Government’s Green Paper on Energy, which was published along with the Deloitte report on the Electricity Industry on 1st October 2006.
ISME believes the development of effective competition in both the electricity and gas markets is essential in order to keep energy prices to Irish business as low as possible. The creation of effective competition in electricity and gas requires that Deloitte’s recommended option for restructuring of the electricity industry must be implemented in full. Specifically the Government must commit itself to:

1. The full separation of the electricity transmission and distribution network from the rest of the ESB, with responsibility for the networks being assigned to a new State company.
2. The divestiture of ESB generation and supply portfolios as recommended by Deloitte.
3. Full separation of the gas transmission and distribution networks from BGE’s other activities.
4. A detailed review of the current regulatory regime for the gas and electricity markets as the current regime has failed to prevent Irish business and consumers from paying for excess costs and inefficiencies within ESB.
Download ISME Energy Green Paper Submission 2006

Sample Internet Use Policy
This policy provides employees with guidelines about which uses of the Internet are proper and which uses are improper. This policy applies to all employees when using the Internet. Available as PDF Download for ISME Members via the Members' Area.

Request more information.